Revamped marathon highlights Dow Weekend of Races

MIDLAND -- Runners from all over the country are locked in
for the Dow Weekend of Races.

Runners competing in The Qualifier last year start the race from Dow Diamond in Midland. This year the race starts and ends at the stadium.Brittney Lohmiller | MLive

The two-day event is expected to draw
12,000 people, from 18 states and two countries, to the area for a weekend full
of races and entertainment. The number includes athletes, spectators and
volunteers.

The event, aimed at families, includes something for
everyone. There are a variety of different races including a 10K Run, 5K Run,
5K Walk, 1 Mile Run and Tot Trot.

There will also be a RunWalk Health & Fitness Fair,
on-stage demos, interactive children's activities, inflatable's and a climbing
wall.

The competition then heats up for Sunday's marathon races.

Last year, the marathon was called "The Qualifier." It
started in Midland with runners finishing at Midland Street in Bay City.

While the marathon will still touch all three counties --
Midland, Bay and Saginaw -- the course has been reworked.

"There was a lot of feedback during the early phases of
planning," race director Greg Roan said. "We heard from runners that there were
long stretches last year, like eight miles, where it was extraordinarily
boring. They wanted more varied terrain. The point to point race also presented
us with a lot of logistical issues."

The race is still a Boston Marathon qualifier, but it will
have a new route and new name -- the Great Lakes Bay Marathon.

Now, runners will actually cross the finish line inside Dow
Diamond.

"Athletes will be seen crossing the finish line up on the
jumbotron," Roan said. "People have been asking, are we really going in the
stadium? I think people are going to be amazed with what we have planned."

The other feedback from last year has also been addressed.
Participants will run on paved roads, paved trails, through forest areas and
more as they race to the finish.

Roan welcomed all spectators to come out to Dow Diamond
Sunday. The stadium will be open, along with the concessions stand, for people
interested in watching runners finish the race.

Races start as early as 7:25 a.m. Sunday morning. Roan
expects the first group, the marathon wheelers, to be done around 9 a.m., but
he said competitors would finish through 2 p.m.

"Anybody is welcome," Roan said. "We encourage everyone to
come out at take a seat in the stands."